A new study has found that children who suffer from eczema or atopic dermatitis will continue to suffer from skin problem through their adult life.

The study was conducted by researchers at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

The study has played down the popular belief that eczema resolves as young children get older. Contrarily, the new study shows ‘eczema is a long-lasting disease’.

Dr. Joshua Zeichner, of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, says, “It is generally thought that eczema trouble start vanishing as young children get older. This study, however, followed the natural course of the disease over long periods of time and discovered that symptoms may persist longer than previously thought, lasting at least into the second decade of life or longer.’

For the study, the researchers followed the data from 7,157 children who were part of the Pediatric Eczema Elective Registry (PEER). The participants of the study were 2-year-old on an average when the symptoms of eczema began. The study team found that at every age, about 80 percent of the participants had symptoms of eczema or were using medication for the disease.

The researchers followed the participants for five years. During the period, researchers noticed that some 64 percent of patients never had a single six-month stretch without the condition. Around 50 percent of them experienced at least one break in eczema symptoms by the age of 20.

In a press release, the study authors said, “Based on our findings, it is probable that AD does not fully resolve in most children with mild to moderate symptoms. Physicians who treat children with mild to moderate AD should tell children and their caregivers that AD is a lifelong illness with periods of waxing and waning skin problems.”